Of Portals and Failed Schemes
by MiChri
Summary: A strange portal has appeared in Boo Woods, and King Boo has just the right human in mind to test it out on.


Deep within the wooded area known simply as Boo Woods, nestled among several bare and gnarly threes and mingling with the thick fog that surrounded the area, a portal appeared. This portal might have looked like a regular, swirling passage that lead to what lies beyond mortality, however this was not the case.

No, this portal did not lead to the Paranormal Dimension. In fact, it wasn't even of ghostly origin.

Nonetheless, it had no right to appear in the domain of one monarchy-based society, consisting of the Kingdom World's most dangerous specters – the Boos.

So naturally, their King went to investigate.

The spectral monarch led the way while his servants followed behind, all cackling sinisterly as their high-pitched squeals reverberated throughout the dead forest. Their King followed suit, his slightly lower tone installing fear in anyone who might have been unfortunate enough to hear it.

The night was prime, and the moon shone brightly amid a starless sky.

The King of all Boos halted midair, his intense, dark violet eyes inspecting the offending portal that he himself had not created. All of the Boos around him stopped when their King did, and then they formed a circle around their monarch. They, too, were watching the swirling portal with curious and cautious eyes.

All was silent, for their King had yet to speak. When he did, their rapt attention was completely focused on his large, round form. The jeweled crown on top of his head shone brightly, tinting the long branches around them in purple hues.

"Peculiar..." Said their King. "In all of my time ruling over these woods, I have never seen a portal quite like this one."

"Your Royal Highness!" One Boo said, floating a little closer to the larger Boo. "What should we do about it?"

"Excellent question, Booviser." The Boo King spared his subject a side glance. "I haven't yet decided what to do with it, or if we should investigate it further..." He cackled. "It could be dangerous, or it could be fun. Hmm, what do you say, Booviser?"

"I will follow your every command, as you know, Your Spookiness!" Booviser stated. "However, if I may – testing this on someone else before we enter it might be advisable."

King Boo bobbed up and down in the equivalence of a nod.

"And that is why you are my adviser, Booviser. You come up with what I already know, yes, but another Boo's input is quite valuable." smirked the Boo King. "I'm glad to see you've still got some common sense."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Booviser bowed – or as well as a round orb could bow.

"Now, who to elect as our involuntary test subject?" King Boo's smile widened. "Why, I know just the guy!" He cackled. "What say we invite him over again?"

Every Boo alike laughed like there was no tomorrow, and their King joined along, their mad cackles spurring several crows and owls to fly off their branches.

"I could easily make this portal close and disappear—But where would the fun be in that?" King Boo said once they stopped laughing. "No, no, no. Giving it as a gift to one special human is a far better idea!" giggled the Boo monarch.

His minions cheered.

"Now," He said, turning around to address the rest of the Boos.

"Who'd like to hand-deliver a letter to Luigi?"

* * *

When Luigi checked his mail early that morning, he found one letter sticking out from the rest.

It was sealed within an aged envelope, and what the letter contained did not match up with its overall old-fashioned look and neat handwriting. Surely, if someone was in dire need of help, would they really take their time writing so eloquently? Or for that matter, deliver it within such an old envelope?

It wasn't hard to reach the grocery store in Toad Town – or any other stores in general, and they all sold new paper and envelopes there (letters were quite popular, if you couldn't tell). Okay, so maybe that was overthinking it a bit too much, but after being deceived by King Boo as many times as he had now, Luigi couldn't help but be overly cautious.

But still—This letter spoke of someone in dire need, and Luigi just _couldn't_ ignore it if it was indeed legit.

_Dear Luigi,_

_Please! You've gotta help me! My daughter fell into a strange portal that appeared out of nowhere in Boo Woods, and she hasn't come back out yet! I don't know what to do – I'm too scared to enter it myself!_

_Please rescue her!_

_Sincerely,_

_\- Todd the Toad_

Luigi felt nausea creep up on him. The Boo Woods...Why there, of all places? Just—_Why_?

He could understand why Todd hadn't come to him directly. He probably didn't want to leave the portal, in case his daughter came out of it, but something still smelled fishy. Luigi wanted to tell his bro, Mario, but he shook his head.

No. If this was a trap, Luigi would rather face it alone. He didn't want to risk Mario getting trapped by King Boo _again_. Assuming the worst, of course, for as far as he knew, the Boo King was still firmly locked up within that capsule. The events at The Last Resort took place not that long ago – a few months at most – so it should be safe to assume this was a genuine distress letter.

And it was addressed to him, not Mario. Asking for his help.

Luigi sighed.

"Okey-dokey...Get a grip, Luigi. You can do it!" He told himself, and then nodded resolutely.

Then he eyed the Poltergust G-00 next to his bed.

"But just to be on the safe side..."

He strapped it on, and immediately felt safer with it secured to his back.

"Yeah...That's-a better!" He smiled. "I mean, venturing into Boo Woods kind of requires me to take it with me, right?"

He didn't know who he was trying to convince here.

Just as he was about to head out, Polterpup phased into view from the floor just below his feet, and Luigi halted before he collided with the ghost dog.

"Oh!" He said. "Doggy! Hey there, buddy."

Polterpup smiled up at him and barked excitedly, but then, to Luigi's surprise, his ghostly pal positioned himself in front of the front door and stayed there, unmoving. Luigi took a tentative step forward, confusion present on his face.

"What's up, buddy?" He asked, reaching out to give Polterpup a few pats.

The ghost dog yipped and shook his head, and then gave a low whine.

Luigi let his hand fall back to his side.

"You...don't want me to leave?"

One bark.

"But—What if someone is in danger? I can't just ignore it!"

Two barks.

"...I'm sorry, buddy, but I gotta check it out—as much as I'd rather not go anywhere near that creepy forest. Todd's daughter could be in grave danger!"

Polterpup gave yet another low whine, but this time he moved away from the door, his tail limp and his ears flattened to his skull. Luigi felt quite bad, but he just _had_ to check it out. Not knowing if someone was actually in danger was _killing_ him.

"Sorry, Polterpup...Hopefully I'll be back soon, and then I'll take you for a nice walk, okay?"

Polterpup did not reply.

Luigi adjusted his green cap and went out the door, and as it clicked shut behind him, he suddenly felt like he was making a grave mistake.

* * *

By the time he reached Boo Woods, the sky had darkened considerably, and the gray clouds above let loose small raindrops that soon turned into a heavy downpour that pelted everything under it. Luigi trudged on as the ground became muddy and smeared his shoes with the mucky stuff, and before long he was soaked to the bone. He shivered as a gust of wind blew by, the thick fog around him making it hard to see two feet ahead. The dead and gnarly branched almost seemed to reach for him, and Luigi didn't want to know what would happen should one get him – he'd rather not get abducted by a tree, thank you very much. He knew very well these trees could move, courtesy of the Mario Kart event they held here several years ago.

It was a dreadful place to be in, and it only now occurred to Luigi that something else was amiss—Why would Todd and his daughter have ventured out here in the first place, a creepy forest littered with Boos?

Dear God, he should have listened to Polterpup.

When he was deep within the heart of the woods, Luigi heard the telltale sound of sinister cackling. From every angle the laughter pierced the otherwise quite air, and Luigi had to refrain from jumping in fright every time he saw a white and round thing pass by him. He shivered again as he ventured on, his flashlight held securely in his hands.

This was merely a classic scare tactic the Boos were fond of, nothing else. Without their King, they wouldn't dare attack him – or so he told himself.

Little comfort that did when the squeals of delight kept coming, as if several Boos were currently circling him.

"Don't bother them, and they won't bother you." He said, and then kept repeating that sentence in his mind.

The laughter continued to follow him, and Luigi honestly had no idea where he was at this point.

'_Don't bother them, and they won't bother you. Don't bother them, and they-'_

Suddenly, Luigi found himself face to face with the portal itself, the huge tear in space a swirling mess of black and blue hues. He found himself staring at it for several seconds, but he eventually managed to tear his eyes away from it in favor of searching for Todd.

He found no Todd.

Instead, the laughing Boos that had followed him became visible at that moment, and Luigi easily counted _hundreds_ of them. They all circled him, their faces leering and taunting as they smirked and laughed and cheered.

Being surrounded by a horde of Boos was not a situation he thought he could get out of. Sure, he could handle ten, twenty or even thirty at once, but over a hundred?

Again, _why_ didn't he listen to Polterpup?

A low cackle then pierced the air.

Luigi froze solid, and shivers wracked his body as the temperature lowered. He found himself closing his eyes and _praying_ that he'd heard wrong, because no, just no, this _couldn't_ be real-

"Mwah ha ha!" Shrill laughter filled the air. "Surprised to see me, _Luigi_? It's your old pal, King Boo! What? How am I here? You trapped me in that capsule, yes, but guess what? I GOT OUT!"

Luigi opened his eyes, his hands gripping his flashlight so hard it hurt.

Just ahead, and looming over him, was none other than King Boo himself, the spectral monarch looking as intimidating as ever, and his huge smile sent shivers down his spine. The large Boo rolled his eyes at his cowardice, and then smirked.

"Not one for words today?" He asked rhetorically. "That's fine too. I'll just get to the point."

"K-K-King Boo!" Luigi managed with a shaky voice.

"Oh, so _now_ you decide to grace us with your pathetic voice? Spare me, Luigi, and let me show you something good!"

With those words, the Boo King summoned another portal and levitated a picture frame up from its depths, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth as pure satisfaction shone on his face.

"Behold, mortal! Your dear brother decided to become part of my refined art collection again!" He cackled. "He's simply too used to it by now to really look frightened, unfortunately, but I'll take what I can get."

Luigi could do nothing but stare as he watched his brother once again imprisoned within a painting by his arch-nemesis. This...had to be a nightmare.

"Oh, no, no, no _no no_!" Luigi lamented, shaking his head back and forth. "Mario!"

King Boo laughed.

"Oh Luigi—Poor, poor Luigi..." King Boo sighed. "You actually thought I didn't contact your brother first? The number one? The Hero everyone prefers? Hahaha, how you amuse me so!" He said, and yet his deep scowl told an entirely different story.

He looked pissed. Beyond pissed, in fact, and to the point of insanity.

The spectral monarch held Mario's painting high up for everyone to see, his brother's startled expression making Luigi feel like someone had just stabbed his heart. This...was going too far. King Boo had crossed the point of insanity a long time ago, and now there was only a cunning, evil and truly _vile_ Boo left. The _worst_ of Boos.

Said Boo giggled, and then _licked_ Mario's painting.

Luigi clenched his teeth and fists alike as a surge of pure rage filled him, and he momentarily forgot his paralyzing fear.

How dare he—How _dare_ he?!

King Boo chuckled, circling him lazily as his Boo minions all shrilled with joy.

"Oh? Did I push a few wrong buttons of yours, dear Luigi? Ha ha ha! Don't worry, I plan on doing _much_ worse things to him once you're out of the picture!"

Luigi felt his heart pound within his chest as he dared a direct glance at his arc-nemesis. Mustering all of his courage forth, Luigi glared daggers at the circling Boo King.

"...What do you want, King Boo?" Luigi asked.

The King rolled his eyes. "Normally, I'd say to have you DEAD, but not today, Luigi. Not today." He stated simply. "No, you see, this portal here is not of my doing, and so I want to test it. I want to see what it does, or where it might possibly lead to, but I wouldn't DARE make one of my fellow Boos enter it before testing it out. And that's where you come in!"

Luigi paled. "You—You want me to be your test subject?"

King Boo's smile widened. "Exactly! And now that you know – Go on! Do it! Jump into that nice and probably very deadly portal, or your dear brother Mario will be nothing more than ashes!" King Boo cackled madly. "You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

"If you're gonna kill Mario anyway, then why should I jump into this portal to begin with?!" Luigi shouted.

King Boo stopped circling him for a second, his piercing gaze staring straight at him.

"...You make a sound argument." He stated. "Okay, how about this? _I_ promise to free your older brother if _you_ be a good sport and jump into this swirling mess that'll likely kill you." He smirked. "That's a pretty fair trade-off, if I do say so myself!"

Luigi stood his ground, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No." He said.

And then all hell broke loose.

Initiating the Burst function, the Poltergust sent a shockwave through the area that blew away all of the Boos surrounding him, and with it Luigi jumped high in the air. The Boos all shrieked as they hit either each other or the trees surrounding them, and Luigi took this chance to use the toilet plunger function and aimed it at his brother's portrait – still within the clutches of a now seething King Boo.

He managed to land a hit on the painting, and Luigi hurried over to the spectral King, who swiped at him with his long indigo tongue. With another Burst, Luigi dodged the blow and sucked up the rope hanging from the toilet plunger, and then he sucked away, his feet digging into the muddy ground as he pulled.

King Boo let out an infuriated shriek and struck Luigi with his lightning, but despite this he did not let go. This was about saving Mario, and nothing else. He could handle the pain, he could handle-

Another bolt of lightning struck him, and Luigi cried out in pain. His vision began swimming, and the Boo Woods somehow looked even more sinister now, as if King Boo himself had made it so with one of his illusions. The darkness seemed to stretch on and consume everything, and soon it was only him, King Boo and the large portal behind them.

Luigi kept pulling, intend on getting Mario back. King Boo would have none of this, however, and so he lashed out with his tongue once again, striking the human and dealing blow after blow. Luigi was sure he was going to bruise badly after this, and he felt his world slowly begin to fade away.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Luigi managed to free Mario's painting from King Boo's magic, and he caught the painting just mere inches away from the portal, his feet unsteady and yet still managing to stay put.

"That DOES IT!" King Boo roared.

In a last ditch to get him, the spectral monarch tackled the plumber, and the impact sent them all spiraling…

Right into the portal itself.

…

They stood across from each other, the two of them holding similar expressions of shock and confusion. One of them, a human with a green cap and a soft mustache, blinked his blue eyes a few times, as if to make sure that what he was seeing was in fact real, and not an illusion created by the other. Said other was a ghost – a Boo, specifically – and his confused expression soon returned to its default look, his huge mouth turned down in a terrifying frown that spoke of infinite hate towards the one he was gazing at.

Luigi gulped, taking several steps back.

"You may leave." King Boo stated simply.

The human's grip on his brother's painting tightened.

"...What?"

"You heard me, _Toilet Plumber_." King Boo sneered. "Leave, and don't come back before I've formally invited you for another round of _fun_."

"But-"

"ARE YOU DEAF?!" The King screeched.

"Uwawawawa!" Luigi shouted as he turned tail and ran, and he didn't spare the confused Boos around him a second glance as he made his way out of Boo Woods.

The spectral monarch floated before the portal in silence, his brows furrowed in both fury and contemplation.

"...So, this portal does nothing but spit one back out? How very _useless_." He said. "I might as well get rid of it."

And with the flick of an arm, the portal shrank in on itself and disappeared with a _blip_.

King Boo turned around to face his minions, his expression carefully neutral.

"Let's focus on our next big scheme, now shall we?" He smirked.

The other Boos were too afraid to do anything other than agree.


End file.
